Maybe I remembered backwards then… probably tried to check out with English subs which weren’t there…
I revisited this film and I am prepared now to elevate it from my initial 3/5 rating to 4/5. I have to say it grew on me on this, my 3rd viewing. It is dark and disturbing and has a depth that many SWs do not.
Sorry gang, maybe I’m a slow learner for this film!!!
Rewatched this film after few years and I gotta say that’s even better than I remembered, top3 sw in my list. Hossein’s directing is just superb, at times I’d say he’s even better than Leone. There’s some scenes that are just stunning, like the raping scene in ghost town and the scene in the end which is just pure magic: Mercier lights a oil lamp, then the camera moves to the brothers one at time and then to their father and back to Mercier’s face who just at the right moment sheds a tear. That’s perfect, how could they do that?
Hossein’s character is one of the best (spaghetti)western characters, he plays it in the usual “one look” way and there’s not much told about his past but somehow it really works. His sad face and presence makes it clear that he has some tragic past. He’s like realistic vision of a typical sw anti-hero.
What else… well, the soundtrack is one of my favorites and the cooperation between music and film works just perfectly, only topped by OUTITW.
[quote=“Bill san Antonio, post:143, topic:403”]Rewatched this film after few years and I gotta say that’s even better than I remembered, top3 sw in my list. Hossein’s directing is just superb, at times I’d say he’s even better than Leone. There’s some scenes that are just stunning, like the raping scene in ghost town and the scene in the end which is just pure magic: Mercier lights a oil lamp, then the camera moves to the brothers one at time and then to their father and back to Mercier’s face who just at the right moment sheds a tear. That’s perfect, how could they do that?
Hossein’s character is one of the best (spaghetti)western characters, he plays it in the usual “one look” way and there’s not much told about his past but somehow it really works. His sad face and presence makes it clear that he has some tragic past. He’s like realistic vision of a typical sw anti-hero.
What else… well, the soundtrack is one of my favorites and the cooperation between music and film works just perfectly, only topped by OUTITW.[/quote]
Totally agree Bill. This film is a beauty and the scenes you mention are exquisite. The rape scene, for me, is done to perfection. It could so easily have been done in a more graphic way and in most spaghettis would have been. The way Hossein handles however, all off screen and concentrating on his pained face, adds so much more to it and makes the whole thing more powerful and troubling emotionally.
Great film.
Yes, this is absolutely one that gets better with each viewing.
When I first saw this film, I thought it was awful…one of the most boring Westerns I had ever tried to watch.
Then, when the Japanese company, SPO, released it on DVD my good buddy, Yoshifumi Yasuda, sent me a copy as a gift. I decided I would give the film another chance and was blown away by how much I loved it!
And each time I have viewed it since then…I have liked it even more.
Great stuff, indeed!
saw this yesterday, and i note the fact that some people say they didn’t like it on the first viewing, and i am amongst those. dull, slow moving and i didn’t have any feeling for any character. Some people compare this with the best SW “Once Upon aTime In THE West” i can’t see that myself. The only connection with that great film is the silent opening sequence, the fact that both films were co written by Dario Argento and Mercier’s at first similar character to Cardinelle’s.One or two scenes work and i must admit the dining table scene made me jump!Thanks to Rev, i saw a copy of the Japanese print and it was a very good quality, but i just can’t see what most people see in this one, perhaps on another viewing, or it may be i’m just thick.very average.
Not that it necessarily should happen to everyone, but I was also among those who liked it more on the second viewing.
I must admit I am one of those who loved it first time
Me too.
I’ve been thinking about my top 20 SW list and always waver on what belongs, what doesn’t, where things should go. But one constant is this film remains in the #2 position.
This scene is one of my all time favorite scenes in any genre. It blows me away every time I watch it.
And it was cut down in the old German version. Fools.
Thanks to Anolis for the restored version. Very good release from a small label.
And very expensive
Oh yeah!
A Fistful of Dollars … or for a few dollars more. 
But currently there is no alternative. And the money is well invested. 8)
I gave it 4 stars. It is entertaining, but a definite notch below the giants of the genre. Anyone here who has not seen this movie should seek it out, of course, with help from the community here as it can be difficult to come by.
I voted 5.
One of the best IW. In my top20.
The atmosphere is great.
It is spoken very little.
Great location. It’s all about revenge. Anti-hero. No morals.
That is what makes a IW.
It kind of reminds of a Clint Eastwood Western. Tough, Anti-Heroes, revenge and no words wasted!
One of the best in production design.
I gave this one a rewatch, as it had been a couple of years since I had last seen it.
Pretty much what I thought of it the first time. An ok film that moves slowly and has not much to offer, except that it looks alright. The plot isn´t grand. Neither is the acting. Hossein isn´t much of a pistolero. The theme song is the best thing about this film. Not a bad film, but there are dozens of spaghettis at this level in my opinion. 6/10